This invention relates to laminate testing and, more particularly, to a method of producing composite laminates containing interlaminar disbonds of controlled sizes, shapes and positions within a composite structure.
The development of composite laminates with controlled, designed-in flaws is essential for modelling impact damage. In the past, disbonds were created by inserting a film, such as Teflon.RTM., into the desired laminate disbond areas. These methods, however, increase the thickness of the laminate, and in many instances the films are trapped in place and cannot be removed for testing of the laminate. Thus, previous test laminates, due to their increased thickness and the presence of artificial inserts, did not enable researchers to realistically model impact damage in composite laminates.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to produce a composite laminate which contains interlaminar disbonds of controlled sizes, shapes and positions within the structure.
A further object of this invention is to produce a composite laminate containing interlaminar disbonds which do not increase the thickness of the laminate.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent hereinafter in the specification which follows.